


The Week After

by DaniPayson



Category: The X-Files
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-09
Updated: 2019-11-09
Packaged: 2021-02-01 04:15:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21372874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniPayson/pseuds/DaniPayson
Summary: I decided I needed to take a break from the present and go back in time a bit to when their relationship was new and the feelings and fears that go along with that. Taking place directly after all things.
Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 6
Kudos: 92





	The Week After

August 22, 2000  
8:55AM  
“So, Skinner said you have the flu…um…ok…well when you feel a little better give me a call. Please.”  
12:15PM  
“Um, I’m starting to think you really don’t have the flu; considering you’ve never taken a sick day. Please call me.”  
3:55PM  
“Clearly you have no intention of calling me. Did I do something wrong? Piss you off in some way? I’d really like to know what’s going on here so if you could JUST CALL ME.”  
The rain stopped around noon, but it wasn’t until five that Scully felt able to get out of bed. She didn’t know WHAT was wrong with her, she just knew she couldn’t go to work, and she couldn’t look at someone OR talk to him. Not until she fully came to terms with what happened between them.  
Some lines should never be crossed.  
Even though it was supposed to get up to seventy-five degrees today, Scully only felt like wearing the fresh out of the dryer flannel grey pajamas and her favorite ivory robe since college. After dragging herself out of bed, Scully muddled her way into the living room and let her body fall onto the couch. Staring up at the ceiling she closed her eyes and prayed the phone wouldn’t ring again.  
The knock was hard, like a cop demanding a suspect open the door. She didn’t even have to question who was knocking, but she did all she could to ignore him.  
“You can’t ignore me forever.” The voice on the other end of the door called out.  
Realizing that she could in fact ignore him forever, she tried her hardest to do just that, but an ache deep down in her stomach told her she couldn’t. Groaning at that ache, she crawled off the couch to the front door and opened it, not even bothering to look up.  
Mulder looked down at the tiny and very much disheveled woman before him and all anger immediately left his body, “Maybe you do have the flu?”  
Shaking her head, she turned around and walked away from him, leaving the door open for Mulder to follow her. Closing and locking the door behind him, Mulder was carrying a small paper bag, “I stopped at Asian place at the end of the street -the one you like. Picked up some hot and sour soup with the crispy noodles; I know how much you like their crispy noodles.”  
As he acted like it was any other day, Scully simply nodded and let out a faint, “Thank you.”  
Nodding a reply, she couldn’t see, Mulder walked into the kitchen and placed the bag on the counter, looking back at the back of the woman bracing herself against the couch as if she was having trouble standing.  
“I guess you’re not coming in tomorrow either.”  
“No.” Scully replied taking a deep sigh, “I told Skinner I needed the week.”  
“The week.” Mulder said in a disheartened tone as he crossed his arms and approached her from behind, “Why?”  
“I just need to process things.”  
His upper teeth digging into his lower lip, Mulder wanted to touch her, force her to look at him but could sense how fragile she was right now, “Did I do something wrong?”  
Her memory instantly flashing back to the night before, everything her partner did was far from wrong, but for reasons she couldn’t quite ascertain she felt…guilty. Shameful. But she also didn’t want him thinking he was at fault either. “No.” Scully replied softly, still unable to look at him as she kept her focus on the couch cushions, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”  
“Then why can’t you look at me?” Mulder replied his voice cracking a bit, “This avoiding eye contact is going to make it really hard to continue to work together…unless…”  
“I’m not leaving.” Scully replied, her gaze now focused on the television set before her, “I just need time to myself.”  
Mulder nodded, “I guess I just have to accept that.”  
Closing her eyes Scully nodded as she increased her grip on the back of the couch.  
“As it is, I’m being told I have to take time off by the end of the year anyway and I’ve been putting off packing up my parents summer home and putting in on the market so while you’re processing things I might as well take care of that.”  
“That sounds like a good idea.” Scully replied as her eyes remained shut.  
“It’s a pretty long drive and I was hoping to have some company, but I guess I can do it alone.”  
Licking her lips and swallowing the large lump in her throat, Scully was unable to reply.  
“Well, I’ll get going then.” Mulder’s voice lowered a bit as he walked to the door. Placing his hand on the brass knob his eyes closed as he gripped it, “We can’t just forget what happened last night can we?” he said opening his eyes and focusing on the hard wood before him.  
The woman behind him didn’t reply, which is sadly what he expected.  
“Well, see ya.” He said opening the door and letting it slowly close behind him.  
As she heard the door latch click, Scully opened her eyes and slowly turned back towards the door honestly hoping he was still there and finally letting the tears fall.  
Scully’s eyes opened to the clock reading 10:13PM. She found herself fixated on the bright red numbers until the three turned to a four. Closing her eyes, she let out a deep sigh before sitting up and getting out of bed.  
Walking into the kitchen, Scully’s eyes focused on the small paper bag in the same place Mulder had left it. Feeling it couldn’t really hurt to attempt to eat something as she hadn’t all day, Scully opened the bag and pulled out the large Styrofoam container and placed it on the counter. She then pulled out not one but two bags of crispy noodles as Mulder clearly remembered she always asked for extra.  
Stepping back from the counter, she let out another sigh as the tears begin to fall. Why was she doing this to herself? What she did wasn’t a mistake and it wasn’t sinful. She could have joy in her life. She could experience pleasure.  
Ignoring the late hour, she walked over to the phone and quickly dialed his number hoping he would pick up.  
“Yeah?” he asked in an unenthusiastic tone as if he was bracing himself for bad news.  
“What time are you picking me up tomorrow?” Scully asked as her stomach began to rumble from more than hunger.  
A smile formed on Mulder’s lips as he lay in bed ignoring a MASH marathon on TV, “I’ll be there at eight.”  
“I’ll be waiting.” Scully finally let herself smile as she hung up the phone and took a deep and relaxing breath.  
“The drive to Quonochontaug is a little over six hours.” Mulder said as he opened the trunk and took Scully’s bags from her, “So we should be there before three.”  
Still not able to look at him, Scully simply nodded as she walked to the passenger side of the rental car and got in. Buckling her seatbelt in place she sat up straight and focused on the car parked in front of his and not the man currently putting her suitcase filled with random items she packed without really putting much thought, into the trunk of his rental car. The Taurus jiggled a bit as Mulder slammed the trunk shut then walked over to get into the driver’s side. Placing his hands on the steering wheel, he let out a deep breath before turning to the woman next to him, “I made the reservation last night before you called. They only had one room left.”  
Scully nodded as that’s what she assumed would happen. Either by purpose, chance or fate.  
“There is a pull-out couch though…I can take that if you would feel more comfortable.”  
If you would feel more comfortable.  
Shaking her head, a bit, Scully turned to her left and unbuckled her seat belt. Fearing she had changed her mind Mulder closed his eyes and prepared to take her bags out of the car when he felt her hands on his cheeks and her lips on his. As he savored the moment, for as fleeting it was, his mind went back to the last time she kissed him and what followed. After she parted from him, he slowly opened his eyes to see her finally looking at him as well as smiling.  
“That was…unexpected.” Mulder replied as he licked his lips.  
Her own smile not fading, Scully simply nodded in return, “The couch won’t be necessary.” She said as the nervous energy returned, but she decided to just accept it and re-buckle the seatbelt before taking a much-needed deep breath.  
“I guess I have to ask, were you able to process everything yesterday?” Mulder asked after he merged onto the Baltimore Washington Parkway North for the next twenty-seven miles.  
Shrugging a reply, he couldn’t see Scully wasn’t sure how to answer, “Not really.” She answered truthfully as her eyes focused on the cars ahead, “More than anything I just needed to sleep.”  
He could have made a crude comment regarding his performance two nights earlier, but instead Mulder kept his eyes on the road and his mind on the current situation at hand, “So you really don’t feel well?”  
“I feel weird.” Scully replied, “Not bad weird, not good weird…just…weird.”  
“But not hate me forever weird?”  
“Never.” Scully quickly replied taking a second to look at him as he kept the car at the speed limit and kept his eyes on the road, “You’re my best friend.”  
“And here we go.”  
“You have no idea what I’m going to say next.”  
“Yes, I do. You’re my best friend and I don’t what happened to ruin our friendship so it was a one-time thing that can never happen again.” He said in a way that made her think he’d heard that before.  
“That’s not what I was going to say.” Scully replied a bit insulted, “Far from it.”  
“Really?” He quickly looked at her before returning his attention to keeping three car lengths behind the red Ford Mustang in front of him.  
“We’ve been together eight years. Eight. Years. Many partnerships and even friendships don’t last that long.”  
“True.” Mulder replied, “Even some marriages.”  
“Exactly. So, whatever compelled me to do what I did obviously happened for a reason.” She took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing, “Maybe it was dealing with seeing Daniel again or the fight we had before you left or meeting Colleen…I’m not quite sure as it was two days where my mind was in a million different places and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do or feel, but the fact is it happened. I don’t regret it, but I do still need to process what is now happening between us.” She didn’t expect to get all of that out in a matter of seconds.  
“What is happening between us?”  
“You tell me. As we drive seven hours to a hotel where we will be sharing a bed for how many nights?”  
“Four.” Mulder replied, “I pick up the U-Hall tomorrow, then there’s the packing and then cleaning and we might even need to do some painting. At least the furniture is gone. I took care of donating that to charity after my mother passed away.”  
“Doesn’t really give us time to sightsee, or anything else for that matter.” Scully replied, “No wonder you wanted help.”  
“I wanted company. I’ve been putting this off for months, but it’s something I have to do now.” Mulder said as the truth of why he needed to tie up so many loose ends began to eat away at him – which is probably why he shouldn’t have allowed himself to start anything with the woman he would essentially die for. “And I am glad you decided to join me.”  
Scully nodded, “I needed a break anyway, which is why I told Skinner I needed the rest of the week off.”  
“He did sound a little shocked when he told me and said you were acting strange on Monday.”  
“Strange how?”  
“Distant. That you left for lunch and never came back. That’s not like you.”  
“A million different directions.” Scully breathed heavily as she looked out at the cloudless sky, “How is Rhode Island in late summer?”  
“Hot. Sticky.” He replied as a Cheshire grin form across his face, “The kind of weather where you don’t want to wear…. anything.”  
Chuckling a bit to herself, but thankful that he was behaving like his old self again, Scully felt that odd feeling in her stomach again, “Just because I don’t regret anything doesn’t mean I’m not still processing everything.”  
“I can be patient.” Mulder replied, “I waited eight years, didn’t I?”  
“You didn’t want me for that long.”  
“So, says you.” Mulder shrugged a bit, “Scully, admit it, you’re hot…and don’t tell me you didn’t have the same thoughts that rainy night in Oregon.”  
“You really do remember everything don’t you?”  
“The moments with you are bookmarked.” He added, “But seriously…I’m fine. More than fine.”  
“Good.” She said feeling like a lot of pressure was off her now, “It’s kind of like having a good steak. You don’t want one every night - you want to savor it.”  
“Are you comparing me to a piece of meat?”  
“No, I’m just saying that was a really big step and maybe we need to take a moment to just…savor it.”  
“Personally, if I like something enough, I do want it every night.”  
“That’s because you have an additive personality.”  
“Guilty.” Mulder replied, “And now I want a steak.”  
There was a four-car accident on the New Jersey Turnpike outside East Windsor, New Jersey and to avoid sitting in traffic for hours, Mulder pulled off the interstate to the first restaurant he could find. Legend’s Grille was relatively empty for a little after three on a Wednesday, and even though her stomach was still in knots, Scully looked over the menu and tried to find something that wouldn’t try to come back up.  
“Was the soup good?” Mulder asked as his partner looked over her menu.  
Scully nodded, “It was.” She said as she kept her eyes on the menu, “So good I haven’t really felt like eating all day.”  
“I grabbed a bagel at the gas station before picking you up. Left a lot to be desired.”  
Scully smiled without looking up as she continued to peruse the menu items. Their server Sandra stopped by to take their drink order and water was really all either of them wanted.  
“You don’t have to be cheap. It’s not like this is a date or anything.” Mulder said.  
“It isn’t?” Scully said looking up at him, “I do see lobster tails as an option.”  
“Wait until we get to Rhode Island.”  
“If we get there…” Scully replied recalling the newscaster’s description of the accident they were trying to avoid.  
“Eventually…I believe there are side roads…and I do have a map.”  
“Where are we staying? I don’t recall ever visiting your childhood summer home.”  
“We’re not staying there, but there is a nice hotel built in the late eighteen hundreds; it’s where I stayed when I had to come up here a few years ago. The Weekapaug Inn. The room even has a private terrace with direct outdoor access to the pond slash beach – if we have time.”  
Scully nodded as she returned her attention back to the menu, “I think I’ll go with the Greek salad.”  
“That’s it?” Mulder replied, “You haven’t eaten all day.”  
“I’ll wait for the Rhode Island lobster.”  
Forgoing the steak for a salad as well, by the time they left the restaurant the accident had been cleared up and the next three hours began to fly by as the oldies channel played music they sang along to, badly, but not caring who heard them as the knots in Scully’s stomach began to untie themselves and she began to feel like herself again as she belted out You’re the One That I Want with the man finally allowed herself to be with.  
And as Mulder exited from I-95, exit 92 onto N Stonington/Pawcatuck/CT-49 the knots began to tie again, and her voice trailed off at ‘oh yes indeed’ and she turned off the radio.  
Mulder stopped ooh oohing as he turned right on Liberty St/CT-2, “No longer feel like singing bad movie showtunes?”  
Scully shook her head, “No.”  
“Was my singing that bad?”  
“No.” she said as he merged onto Westerly Bypass and Scully’s eyes fixated on the signs directing them to their destination.  
As they drove straight for the next four miles, Scully’s mind began to play out all the scenarios she feared as she drove home in the rain that Tuesday morning, “What if this ends badly?”  
“Huh?” Mulder replied unsure what she was referring to. “What if what ends badly.”  
“This. Us?” she said looking at him, “I’m sure you’re familiar with my dating history.”  
“As you are with mine. People take jobs overseas to get away from me.”  
The attempt at humor did help a bit, but the worry still plagued her, “I just don’t want to lose you.”  
I just don’t want to lose you.  
That was the punch to the gut Mulder didn’t need right now.  
Pulling the car off onto the side of the road he turned and looked at the woman less than a foot away from him, focusing his eyes on her and nothing but her, “As God as my witness, I will never willingly leave you.”  
Willingly.  
He felt that part was needed.  
“Promise?” She begged and as much as she sounded like a vulnerable woman that’s exactly how she felt, and she hated when she felt this way.  
“You’re the only person I have never lied to.”  
Nodding rapidly Scully turned her attention to the road ahead, “Drive.”  
“Yes, ma’am.”  
The accident delay had them checking in after six, and as Scully took in the Pond View Deluxe room with the private terrace, she immediately noticed one thing – or the lack of that one thing, “Mulder…” she said standing by the terrace doors and watching as he carried in their bags.  
“Scully?” He replied tossing the bags onto the king-sized bed.  
“There’s no pull-out couch, and no couch for that matter.”  
“Oh...right…” Mulder replied, “That’s the suite I was thinking of.”  
“Sure.” Scully replied turning and looking out at the breathtaking pond outside the doors.  
“Seriously. We had to stay here once because there was a plumbing issue and Samantha and I slept on the pull-out couch, but now I remember that room was bigger than this one.”  
Scully just shook her head as she watched children playing out by the pond.  
“Remember…” He said placing his hands on her shoulders, “I didn’t think you were joining me.”  
Nodding as she turned away from the view, Scully walked into the bathroom and the sight of the large clawfoot tub immediately filled her with joy, “Ok, you’re forgiven.”  
“I didn’t do anything wrong but good to know.” Mulder replied picking up the room service menu, “Since it’s been a long drive you want to just get a drink or room service?”  
“Guess they don’t deliver lobster to your room.” Scully replied pulling herself up onto the end of the bed and letting her legs dangle, “At least we can share a room without worrying what people with think.”  
“And a bed.” Mulder replied closing the menu, “Let’s go get a drink.”  
Realizing she probably could use something, Scully nodded and hopped off the bed, “One question.”  
“What?” Mulder asked as he shoved the keycard in his back jeans pocket.  
“Did you bring your cellphone?”  
“Yes, did you?”  
Scully shook her head, “I have the flu, remember?”  
Mulder nodded as he reached out his hand which she gladly took, “Never been so happy for a virus in all my life.”  
Her mind a bit buzzed from the Cabernet, Scully lay in the tub so deep the water went to her chin without spilling over and closed her eyes as she let the lavender and vanilla essentially take her away.  
“That’s it.” She called out to the man in the other room.  
“What?” he asked cursing himself that he forgot they didn’t have TVs in the rooms and hoped he’d find other ways to entertain himself.  
“I’m moving here.”  
“To Rhode Island?” He asked as he cautiously approached the bathroom – unsure exactly how comfortable she was with everything.  
“No, here. This tub. I’m never getting out.”  
As she had left the bathroom door open, Mulder braced himself against the opening as he looked at her, “It suits you.” He said noticing how the abundance of bubbles covered every inch of her from the chin down. “Do I tell Skinner you’ve left the FBI for a cast iron tub?”  
“There are worst choices I could make.” Scully replied honestly shocked she wasn’t the least bit uncomfortable with having Mulder six feet away from her. Well, she did leave the door open…unconsciously or not.  
Mulder nodded and even though he had seen her naked in the past, under much different circumstances and really only had the moonlight to guide him two nights earlier, there was a distinct glow about her now he couldn’t quite put his finger on, “We’re picking the U-Hall up tomorrow morning at nine.” He said, “As it’s eight now…”  
“What’s this we. The tub and I have our own plans.” She said sitting up and picking up the loofah realizing instantly that the water and bubbles were no longer covering everything.  
He was a man, and the sight of certain parts of a woman’s body did have an effect on men – and this woman was no exception. Actually, she was the exception – to everything.   
“Well…” Scully said looking down as the suds slid down her breasts in a strange kind of slow motion. “That was bound to happen.”  
Unsure how to reply, Mulder simply nodded. He was sure he should leave but was also sure he could no longer walk.  
As her gaze moved upwards, Scully couldn’t help but notice the reaction on her partner’s face, “They’re just breasts.”  
“They’re your breasts.” He replied as he felt his mouth draining of all moisture.  
“I’m pretty sure you two became pretty familiar with one another the other night.” She recalled the way he massaged them and even felt a memorable ting at the recollection if his teeth biting into her nipple.  
“You’re a lot calmer about things than you were a day ago or even a few hour ago.”  
“I’m also a lot more buzzed.” She replied, “Take note of that.”  
“I have…I will.” He said exhaling deeply as he tried to calm another part of his body, “I’m going to go read the bible.” He said finally able to walk out of the bathroom.  
After the water turned cold, Scully got out of the tub, dried herself and wrapped a large bath towel around her body. Walking over to the sink, she picked her cross off the counter and looked up at herself in the mirror as she held the gold symbol of her faith. Yes, she had shared a bed with a man who was not her husband; it wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last, but she didn’t consider sharing a loving act with someone she deeply cared for a sin.  
And she had to remember to keep telling herself that.  
Walking back into the main room, she looked at Mulder still fully clothed laying on top of the bed with the Holy Bible in his hands.  
“You weren’t joking.” Scully said as she lay her cross on the nightstand.  
“With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Mulder recited.  
“Ephesians 4:2-3.” Scully replied as she crawled up onto the bed, “Shouldn’t you spontaneously combust holding that?”  
“Do you have this entire book memorized?” he asked closing it and tossing it back in the drawer.  
Scully shrugged as she sat on her knees looking at the man she was now seeing so differently than she did when he stormed out of their office with his mouth full lecturing her about missing out on life, “Sunday school, Bible camp...and I do keep one by my bed.”  
Mulder nodded, “I remember seeing it a few times.”  
“Why were you even reading it?” she honestly asked, “You’ve told me a million times you don’t believe in God.”  
“But you do and if it’s something you’re that passionate about I figured I should at least give it a shot.”  
The last time she recalled Mulder even looking at a bible was seven years earlier when he used it to mock what was happening around them and his behavior then annoyed her, but now he was sincere, and she could tell his words came from the heart.  
This was all so new and for reasons she couldn’t explain even as she sat not two feet away from them wearing only a towel she was petrified. The AC was clearly cranked up and a chill began to run down her spine as she just found herself gazing at the man next to her, “You’re amazing.”   
Mulder smiled as he sat up, “And I need to take a shower now that the bathroom is free.”   
And with that he popped off the bed and walked into the bathroom where the door did close behind him.  
On Tuesday all she wanted to do was sleep, and at three am on Thursday, Scully found herself wide awake with nervous energy. With no TV in the room, Mulder read the What to See in Rhode Island magazine from front to back while she played solitaire with the deck of cards left in a drawer. By ten they had decided to retire for the night before a strange feeling in her abdomen awakened her out of a dead sleep. Wearing a jade green shorts and camisole set she had purchased months earlier on clearance at Target, not really feeling the need to wear baggy flannel at the beach, Scully got out of bed and walked over to the patio doors to the terrace as it felt like something was compelling her to walk out into the night air.  
The air was a bit sticky, as Mulder had warned her, but felt good as she sat down on one of the patio chairs and looked up at the night sky.  
“I’m not sure if you’re listening.” She said to the stars shining amongst the darkness, “But I could really use your help right now.” Taking a moment to look back through the glass doors she could see Mulder was still asleep, “I’m really confused right now.” She said back to the sky above, “I’ve never felt this confused about anything in all my life. There’s a man…I’m sure you’ve seen him even though he claims to not believe in you and I know you know how I feel about him; how I’ve felt about him for some time, but now that he knows HOW I feel, I’m afraid of something going wrong. There’s a part of me that knows we were meant to be together, but there’s the other part – the scared part – that is afraid if we get too close, I’ll scare him away. I’m good at doing that which is why I started being the one to run away first, but every minute of every day I only want to be with him and that is what terrifies me. I know you lose a bit of yourself when you fall in love, which is why I’ve held my feelings in for so many years, but now I’ve reached the point where I can’t hide it anymore. My heart beats faster when I’m around him, my stomach is in knots wanting to be with him and other parts of my body feel like they’re on fire whenever I think of him.” She sighed, “I can’t tell him this, but if you could just give me a sign that everything will be ok, I’d really appreciate it.”  
After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, and feelings, Scully got up from the patio chair and turned around to see the patio door open and Mulder standing in the doorway.  
“How long have you been standing there?” She asked as the sight of him wearing only a pair of black pajama bottoms ignited the fire that she never wanted extinguished.  
“Long enough.” He said walking out to the patio and taking her face in his hands before leaning down and kissing her.  
As she melted into him, Scully felt her knees go weak as the pleasure of the feel of his tongue pressing against her lips to part them, to welcome him, into her mouth coursed through her body. His hands sliding down her body to her behind, gripping it firmly as he pulled her off her feet; her arms locking around his neck as her legs simultaneously locked around his waist as his tongue continued to explore every inch of her mouth. Refusing to part from her, the kiss deepened as Mulder turned around, secured his grip on the woman in his arms and walked back into the room, kicking the door shut behind him before lowering her onto the bed. Parting from her for just a moment, Mulder found himself again just mesmerized by this woman and the fact she wanted to be with him. His eyes so fixated on her, Scully smiled as her hands moved from his neck, sliding ever so slowly down his chest feeling his heart beating rapidly beneath her palms.  
“Is this the sign you needed?” Mulder asked the woman before him as the moon cast its light on her perfect face.  
Nodding slowly as her palms continued to slide up and down his chest, his nipples hardening underneath her fingertips, he began to do the same. Sliding his hands under the satin green camisole, his eyes closing as his fingers slid between her hardened nipples and the moans which escaped her lips was the only sign he needed as he moved his hands back to her face, his lips returning to hers with a fire and intensity he didn’t know he was capable of. As her hands slid under the waistband of his pajama pants, he did the same, pulling the small shorts down her legs as he refused to part his lips from hers. Scully moaned into his mouth as the cold air-conditioned air hit her bare skin. As much as he wanted to savor every inch of her body, the late hour and the pressure building made it difficult as he feared he’d finish before she even started.  
Parting from her just long enough to pull of his pajama pants – thinking it would be best to sleep without them the next three nights – Scully removed her top and tossed it across the room. All barriers removed, their eyes locked in the moonlight just as they had three nights earlier. No words needing to be said, Mulder tossed his own pants God knows where before returning to his previous position; his partner locking her legs around his waist as she arched her pelvis against him. The cries of passion filled the room as he entered her in one swift motion. Her body heaving from the pleasurable pain coursing through her body, Scully grabbed hold of Mulder’s firm behind and as her muscles began to loosen around his fullness, she arched her back and pulled him deeper as a signal to continue. His eyes locked on hers, she nodded as he slowly pulled out a bit before entering her again, her moans acting as a guide as he quickened his pace. His hands moving to her breasts, his lips moving to her neck, kissing and gently nibbling his way to her supple breasts as he took one in his mouth; his tongue circling the taut nipple before tenderly taking it between his teeth causing her to cry out in desire as her nails dug into his ass and her muscles tightened around his shaft. As the line between pleasure and pain became blurred, Scully felt her climax mounting and screamed out Mulder’s name as the intense waves crashed over her which then caused her partner’s own release before he went limp on top of her.   
The moments after are sometimes met with an uncomfortable feeling, and sometimes even shame, but just like three nights earlier, Scully felt nothing but calmness and now as her partner breathed heavily above her, her eyes grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.  
The sound of the most annoying alarm on the face of the earth buzzed Scully out of a sound sleep. Her eyes bolted open and her hand slammed the device quiet before she was able to truly focus on her surroundings. Slowly sitting up in the bed she found herself very aware of where she was and what had happened only a few hours earlier, but she also found herself alone which she assumed she deserved.  
The sound of water running was apparent when she was able to fully focus on everything and feeling a bit bold, she got out of the warm bed and walked gingerly to the bathroom where she opened the door to a room of steam. Closing the door behind her as quietly as possible she walked to the small shower stall and slowly opened the door, revealing a man with soap in his hands and an exasperated look on his face.  
“Room for one more?” she asked with a devilish smile.  
As he looked down at the tiny woman before him all he could do was smile in return, “Always.” He said stepping back to allow her entrance in the small stall.  
The hot water fell on her face as Scully closed her eyes and ran her fingers through her hair. His own already fully washed, Mulder returned to the soap to the holder and picked up the bottle of shampoo, pouring a generous portion into his free hand before running his hands through her hair.   
As any salon visit comes with a relaxing shampoo session, there was something different about the way his fingers ran through her hair and massaged her scalp causing tingles to run right down to her toes. Unable to ignore his hardness against her, her mind focuses solely on the pleasure he was providing, Scully wrapped her fingers around his cock and began to slide her hand up and down the shaft enjoying the way he jerked in her hand.  
Slowly lowering herself onto her knees as his fingers now gripped the sides of her head, Scully guided him into her welcoming mouth as the hot water rained down upon her. Her tongue circling the head she took him in as deep as she could before releasing a bit and continuing to favor his shaft like a popsicle on a hot day. His grip tightened on her head as he felt his orgasm coming and she released him from her as his hands swiftly moved to her behind and pulled her up, pushing her back against the shower wall before entering her and closing his eyes as he came.  
“I’m kind of liking this every three-hour session we have going here.” Mulder said as he zipped up his jeans.  
Unable to really explain what came over her, Scully tied her white Keds and watched as Mulder shoved the rental car key and the keycard for the room into his pockets. “Don’t get used to it.”  
“Why not?” Mulder asked, “We could make it work.”  
“Oh yes, excuse me for a moment. We’ll get back to you about your Big Foot encounter after I give my partner a blow job.”  
“Well, when you put it like that.” He pouted in return.  
“There’s no need to rush it. We have the rest of the week and then the rest of our lives.” Scully smiled as she quickly kissed him and grabbed her purse.  
“Sure. The rest of our lives.” Mulder replied before following her out the door.  
When the doctor tells you to start putting your affairs in order, you get a second opinion.  
When the second opinion tells you to start putting your affairs in order, you put your affairs in order.  
As Mulder sat on the bottom step of his parents’ summer home watching the woman he had loved longer than he hadn’t put boxes together, he cursed the black mass in his brain.  
For now he was ok, occasional headaches with temporary blindness which could come at any time without warning made him a danger on the road or at his job, but as long as he took mannitol every day to keep his brain from swelling and causing pressure on the occipital lobe he would be fine and had been blindness free for over two months.  
Traumatic brain injury was the first diagnosis, one doctor actually asked if Mulder was a hockey player. The second doctor assumed it was a brain tumor, but further scans proved that to be wrong as well and now here he sat on a drug which made him pee a hundred times a day, but without a clear diagnosis only a “less than six months’ death sentence.  
Getting up from the steps, Mulder walked over to Scully as she taped the bottom of yet another box.  
“How is your head feeling?” She asked as he took the tape roll from her.  
“Better.” He lied as the ‘migraine’ started after they picked up the U-Hall and Scully had to drive to his parents’ house as Mulder attempted to give accurate directions. The six-mile drive ended up being closer to ten given the amount of U-Turns, but they made it. Alive.  
Percocet was diagnosed for these moments, but that was yet another drug he couldn’t take while working so he just had to generally suck up the pain and move on, but he knew it was getting worse and now there was no way he could tell the woman smiling up at him.  
“Maybe this morning was too much.” Scully said as she picked up a box and walked towards the kitchen.  
“No, definitely not.” Mulder replied as he picked up another open box and the giant roll of bubble wrap and followed her, “If anything that helps the pain.”  
Scully nodded as she placed the box on the counter and opened a cabinet, “Releasing of serotonin is good for pain and mental wellbeing.”  
“Explains why you’ve been a lot more chipper…aside from Tuesday.”  
“Well, I’m thankful you decided to do this. If not I’d probably still be in my flannel pajamas feeling like I made a giant miscalculation in my life.”   
“I take it you no longer feel that way.” He asked as he started to take plates out of the cupboard, “Given the last seven hours.”  
Blushing at the memory, she shook her head, “I really didn’t then, it was more so worrying about the future. Our future. If we have one.”  
Mulder focused on the inside of the box before him – the big, empty cardboard box. He knew if he was quiet for too long she would start to worry, and then the processing would begin again, but at the same time he also knew he couldn’t tell her the truth. All he could do was live in the moment and appreciate however much time they would have together.  
“We do.” He replied before giving her a quick reassuring smile.  
The weight being released off her chest Scully smiled in return and pulled some old coffee cups out of the cupboard, “I’ll admit, I forgot how good it feels to wake up next to someone.”  
“Me too.” Mulder replied as he rolled a plate in bubble wrap, “Not to mention the other things that can happen when you share a bed…”  
“I see where your mind is going.”  
“On a lot of out of town trips with unused rooms.” He said as he cut the bubble wrap from the protected plate and placed the plate in the box.  
“We just have to be careful – you remember Jake Summers and Karen Douglas.”  
“Everyone does.”  
“I’m not getting caught on a stakeout with my head in your lap.”  
“As much as I appreciate the visual I completely understand.”  
“Not that we both haven’t heard the rumors and crude comments anyway.”  
Mulder nodded as he continued his assembly line work of wrapping the plates in bubble wrap and placing them in the box.  
“There isn’t as much dust on these as I expected there to be.” Scully said looking inside the coffee cups as she waited for her partner to finish with the bubble wrap.  
“My mother still came up here until she died.” Mulder replied, “She swore she wouldn’t step foot here after my parents split, but there are good memories here and she wanted to keep them.” He said before closing the box and placing it on the floor.  
“But you’re ok selling it?”  
“I don’t need it.” He replied, “The property taxes alone are draining as well as keeping the water and electricity turned on. The market is hot so I might as well get rid of it.”  
“Regardless of the memories.” She said as he handed off the roll of bubble wrap and scissors.  
“I can hold onto those without physically being here.” He said before nodding for her to follow him outside the kitchen, “Look.” He said directing Scully to look at he edge of doorway, “Can you imagine me that small?”  
Scully looked at the writing Fox 6/8/65 and forty-two inches, “No.” she smiled looking back at him, “I can’t.”   
Mulder nodded as his eyes focused on Samantha 6/8/65 thirty-three inches. “I don’t need this house to remember my sister.” He said looking back at his partner.  
“I guess you don’t want to make any new memories here.” She said looking up at him slyly.  
“No.” He replied shaking his head, “Not here. There’s a king size bed and a small shower for that. Maybe even a tub.”  
“Not the tub.” Scully replied as she began to wrap the mugs and place them in the box, “That’s sacred.”  
Mulder couldn’t help but chuckle a bit over her fondness for a hotel tub, but it was just one of the many endearing qualities he fell in love with so many years earlier, “Well, the faster we finish packing the faster we can get back to the bed and the shower and your sacred tub.”  
“I thought there was cleaning and painting to do?” Scully asked as she quickly finished wrapping the last mug and placed it in the box.  
“I decided spending time with you is more important. I can easily pay a company to do all the cleaning and painting.” Mulder replied given paint fumes were probably the last thing he needed to deal with right now.  
“I would like to see more of this town.” Scully replied as she closed the box and handed it to him, “And you promised lobster.”  
“That I did.”  
Given most of the furniture and other belongings were donated to charity months earlier, packing up the rest of the house of knickknacks and other items only took a few more hours. As Mulder felt the dull ache in the front of his head returning, he recommended taking a walk to the local tavern to get some lunch. As it was already past three and their breakfast was fruit and a muffin grabbed on the from the hotel, Scully realized she could use something more substantial - even if she still wanted lobster.  
Feeling free to walk hand in hand, the seventy-degree weather with ninety percent humidity felt like nothing the mile walk up West Beach Road to the Wilcox Tavern Mulder fondly remembered from his childhood. Luckily, Scully didn’t feel out of place in her cut off jean shorts and red tank top. Not her usual wardrobe choice, but given she agreed to helping pack in the summer she felt it best to pull them out of the back of the dresser drawer.  
“It’s tavern time!” Mulder said with a bit of a Rhode Island accent as they walked up to the bar and found a couple of seats near the back.  
Perusing the bar menu as the dull ache began to increase, Mulder couldn’t help but want every drink on the menu. Dr. Phillps, the last neurologist he was referred to, recommended he stay away from alcohol, but given it seemed to relieve the pressure in his head better than the medication he was prescribed; and hell he was given six months to live anyway, he figured the liver could handle a bit of punishment.  
“The bruschetta is prepared daily.” Scully said as she looked over the limited happy hour menu.  
“Sounds good. Just enough to not fill us up too much before dinner.” Mulder replied as he was more so focused on determining which drink would lessen the pain faster.  
Scully couldn’t help but notice the way he was squinting at the menu, “Are you having trouble seeing?”  
“I’m fine.” Mulder lied as the last thing he needed right now was to have her worried about him.  
Leaning over a little further to look closer at him, Scully shook her head, “No, you’re not.”  
“I guess the humidity got to me.” Mulder replied sitting up straight and looking down at her, “I think I’m going with the Spice it Up. The tequila and cayenne pepper are just what I need right now. Do you want anything to drink?”  
Shaking her head she realized it was best to not mother or more so doctor him right now, “No, we need someone sober enough to drive the U-Hall.”  
“At least it’s the smallest. I don’t believe we’ll fill it up. Which is good, because the space I rented to store my mother’s stuff only has so much room and I don’t really want to upgrade.”  
“What do you plan to do with everything?”  
Mulder shrugged as the bartender took their order for an order of bruschetta, an iced tea and a Spice it Up. “I’m not quite sure yet, but after I’m gone it will be someone else’s problem.”   
Even though he had made such morbid comments in the past, which Scully just ignored, after everything that had happened in the last week she really didn’t appreciate them, “Can you do me a favor and stop making those kinds of jokes?” she asked in as sincere but firm tone as she could muster, “Especially now.”  
“Don’t worry.” He replied as the bartender placed their drinks in front of them, “I have no intention of going anywhere any time soon.”  
Which was the honest truth.  
By sunset they had packed the U-Hall with the memories of Mulder’s childhood, and as Scully pulled down the door on the back of the truck, Mulder couldn’t help but just take a moment to look at the place after locking it up for possibly the final time. He would find a local realtor and then they could recommend a cleaning company and after that it was out of his hands. There was a part of him that wanted to hold onto the home, maybe make new memories with his own children, but now that he knew that was never going to happen, he felt it best to just let it go.  
His heart heavy at the realization of the brain condition, he knew he could never share with his partner, Mulder took a deep and heavy sigh as he pushed back the tears which wanted so very much to fall.  
“Are you ready? I could really use that lobster you promised me.” Scully called out to him.  
Being brought back to the present, Mulder couldn’t help but smile at the fact that for as many months left that he had, at least he had someone he loved to spend them with.  
“Yeah, I’m ready.” Mulder replied before shoving the keys in his pocket and walking away from his memories.  
“Jeffrey Holden.” Scully said to the man sleeping next to her.  
His eyes slowly opening, he turned to see Scully laying on her left side staring directly at him, “What?” he asked as her voice awakened him from a lovely dream where his undiagnosable disease was cured and he was living a different life with this woman beside him and their children.  
“Jeffrey Holden.” Scully said repeating herself, “He was the tenth grade love of my life – the quarterback of the football team and a junior. He invited me to the prom and I felt special being the only girl in my glass who got to go; and being the love sick teenager I was, I spent the night with him in a cheap motel room while his friends banged on the other side of the wall.” She took a deep sigh as the painful memories came back to her, “Then the next day he acted as if he never met me. I was a shattered fifteen year old and a week later I saw him with Marcia Campbell.”

“Do you want me to find him and kill him?” Mulder honestly asked given this sounded like a guy who deserved some true pain in his life.  
“He’s a lawyer in Ohio.” She gave him a small smile, “You think I didn’t use the FBI resources to look him up?”  
“But why are you telling me about a guy who hurt you over twenty years ago?”  
“Because you never forget the first man who broke your heart.” She replied her voice cracking a bit, “And because I never wanted to know that pain again I got into the habit of never allowing myself to feel anything for anyone ever again. In every relationship I made sure I was the one to leave. No matter what I felt for the other person, I would not allow them to do to me what Jeffrey did.”  
“And again…you’re telling me this why?”  
“That’s why I left Tuesday morning.”  
“I just assumed it was to get a jump on traffic.” Mulder replied as he propped his head up on his right arm to look down at her, clearly noticing the dampness of her eyes.  
“I was afraid you’d act like you never met me.”  
The large lump forming in his throat became too overwhelming to ignore, “I’ve loved you since I met you.” He replied, his voice seeming to tremble with the words, “If anything I was afraid you’d regret what happened between us and I’d have to just accept that I’d never get to be with you, in that way, again.”  
“I guess we should have talked more about this before now.” Scully smiled a bit, “What were we so afraid of?”  
Mulder shrugged a bit before using his fingers to wipe the tears away from her eyes, “I was partners with Diana for two years before anything happened.”  
“Why are you bringing her up?” Scully said given just hearing that woman’s name still made her feel nothing but rage.  
“To make a point.” He replied sternly, “and two months after we started seeing one another she just decided to take an overseas position. No goodbye, no see ya. No nothing. I was just left alone in my basement office until you showed up six months later.”  
“I’m still waiting for your point.”  
“My point is, I was fascinated by you before I even met you and then when I did see you for the first time I just…” Mulder’s voice trailed off at the reminiscences of how it felt to be instantly attracted to someone, “I knew you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, but I also knew not to rush into anything. I was ok waiting. I admit sometimes I got impatient, said and did things I shouldn’t have just to get a reaction out of you, but since that fateful day in 1992 you were the first thing I thought of when I woke up and the last thing I thought about before falling asleep at night ”  
Finding herself unable to really reply to what he had just said, Scully just looked up at him.  
“However long it took, I was willing to wait for you. To wait for you to feel everything I had felt. I honestly didn’t think it would take eight damn years, but we’re here now. That’s all that matters.”  
“But our jobs.” As the sudden fear of being transferred away hit her.  
“No one has to know anything. It’s none of their business anyway.” Mulder replied, “Do you know how many times I’d already been accused of being in love with you? While inside knowing I had to play it off as ‘she’s just my friend?’ I’ve gotten pretty good at it.”   
“Me too.” She replied finally admitting to herself and him what she held in for so long.  
“Are you still afraid I’m going to leave you?”  
“No.” She replied.  
“Good.” Mulder said as he lay his head back on the pillow and reached for her hand under the sheets, “Tomorrow I want to take you to Charlestown Beach.”  
“I didn’t pack a swimsuit.”  
“We can find you one.” He replied, “I didn’t pack one either.”  
“I’d really like that.” Scully said as she squeezed his had and shifted her body closer to his, “I’m glad we had this talk.”  
“Me too.” He replied, “But I do have one question.”  
“What?” she asked as she closed her eyes.  
“What’s Marcia Campbell up to now?”  
Gritting her teeth, she kicked him in the shin.  
They had to drive forty miles to Warwick, Rhode Island to find a Target, and as Scully perused the various swim suits she had to choose from, the Scully who would usually pick a modest one piece, or tankini found herself drawn to the bright red bikini staring back at her. On a dare, while visiting some old college friends a few years back, she had her belly button pierced, but really never had a reason to show it off. Given she was four hundred miles from everyone she knew she figured she should live a little and pulled the red bikini off the rack.  
A cart filled with sunscreen, beach towels, bottled water and a pair of black swim trunks, Mulder found his partner in the ladies seasonal department holding the very small and very red spandex, “It gets my vote.”  
Startled by his voice, Scully jumped a bit as she turned to face him, “It’s not too revealing.”  
“It’s very revealing. Why do you think I like it. I’m allowed to say that kind of stuff now, aren’t I?”  
Tossing the bikini in the cart Scully walked over to the sarongs and grabbed a white one, “I’ll never be a fan of my ass.”  
“That’s fine.” He replied as she placed the sarong in the cart as well, “I grabbed some flip flops, you may want to do the same.” He said finding himself focused on the part of her body she wasn’t a fan of.  
Following his partner to the shoe department, Mulder started to feel a true feeling of content. Like they were just an ordinary couple doing a little shopping with no fear of running into anyone they knew.   
Scully’s eyes stopped on a pair of two inch heeled thirty dollar white sandals, “Too much?”  
“Whatever you want. Remember, I’m buying.”  
“You need to stop paying for everything.”  
“Did you bring a ton of cash?”  
“No…” Scully replied as she held onto the shoes, “Why?”  
“Because you have the flu, remember, we don’t even want to give a hint you were with me in Rhode Island. Just put the shoes in the cart.”  
Realizing how sometimes it pays to be paranoid, Scully tossed the box in the cart, “I’ll pay you back.”  
“You already have.” He smiled as he followed her to the checkout.  
In her thirty-five years on the planet Scully never dressed provocatively. When she was fourteen she wanted a bikini like all her friends and her mother told her only bad girls revealed their stomachs in public. Melissa rolled her eyes and told her to buy it anyway - it was her own money she earned babysitting, but always looking for her parents approval, Scully bought the black one piece for ten dollars.  
With this engrained in her, she even saw a spaghetti strapped black dress as too revealing, but as she tied the last tie on the red bikini bottom and stared at herself in the mirror she found herself awestruck at the person looking back at her. If we’re all made in God’s own image, aren’t we allowed to display it?  
“Damn…” her partner’s voice said from the other room as he looked at the woman six feet in front of him, “I guess your legs are longer than I thought.”  
“Is it too much?” she asked suddenly feeling self-conscious as the bathroom lights reflected off the gold ring in her navel.  
His eyes focused on her and nothing else, Mulder slowly shook his head as another part of his body demanded they forgo the beach and not leave the room. “It’s just enough.”   
The white sarong tied tightly around her waist, her breasts seeming a bit fuller than they were last time he actually focused on them, they walked down the seven mile Chestertown Beach, which was a bit crowded for a late August. Luckily, they were able to find a spot without too many other onlookers and lay down the newly purchased towels before tossing off their footwear and sitting down.  
“Last weekend before Labor Day.” Mulder said looking at the families surrounding them.  
“And then on the tenth we have the retreat.” Scully replied, her eyes focused on the family with the little boy who couldn’t be more than two and didn’t have the patience to build a sandcastle.  
Mulder groaned as he handed her a bottle of water from the Target bag, “I think the flu will return.”  
Scully shook her head as she opened the bottle, “If we skip it for the fourth year in a row we will be suspended.” She said taking a sip, “Without pay.”  
“I’m pretty sure our team building skills are just fine.” He said looking over her a bit, but not too much to make her uncomfortable, “You did this thing with your leg last night…”  
“Shut up.” She said, “There are children present.”  
“Yeah…”Mulder replied looking at all the kids running into the water, screaming and running back out, “There are.” He said before the thought of what they would never have hit him in the gut, “You ever think of adoption?”  
Scully nodded, “I tried that, remember? And I was rejected.”  
“You won’t be if you’re married.”  
“Are you proposing?”  
“Do you want me to?”   
Scully shook her head and closed the bottle of water, “No, I don’t. It’s much too soon for that.”  
If only she knew that nothing was too soon right now, “But seriously, have you considered it?”  
“Of course I have. When the time and circumstances are right I would very much like to give a child a loving home.”  
Mulder nodded as he squinted up at the sun. He had yet another doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, already took the day off because he also had to meet his accountant about his mother’s estate, but maybe this one would give him the answers he wanted and the cure he desperately needed.  
By noon, the beach became too crowded to actually enjoy, and they packed up their towels and headed back to the room. As the maid had come while they were out, the bed was made and more than anything Mulder wanted to untie that bikini and for the rest of the day appreciate having this woman all to himself.  
“I’d kill for a pizza.” Scully said tossing her towel on the bathroom floor as she united the sarong and folded it in her arms.  
Food…fine… Mulder sighed given they probably should eat, “There’s a great place we about six miles up US -1. I came up here after college and it was really good.”  
“Are there any restaurants you went to as a child?” she asked really wanting to see this area through his eyes.  
Mulder shook his head, “Nope, they’ve all closed – except the Tavern we went to yesterday. Recollections of sticking breadsticks up my nose at Little Italy’s are just memories now.”  
Smiling at the mental image for a moment, Scully placed the folded sarong on the dresser, “I’ll go change.”  
His disappointment being obvious in the moan that escaped his lips, the hope of untying the bikini and taking in every inch of her in the daylight disappearing before his eyes, Scully slowly walked over to him and narrowed her gaze, “Did you have something else in mind?”  
Mulder nodded gradually as he placed his hands on her hips, fingers playing with the spandex ties.  
“It’s the middle of the day…” She replied feeling her heart beating faster as his fingertips tickled her skin.  
“Does that really matter?” He replied, his voice low and gruff.  
Placing her hands on his chest, feeling his heart beating as fast as hers, Scully shook her head, “I guess it doesn’t.” she replied sliding her hands up to his neck as her partner moved his hands to her tiny waist, gripping it firmly.  
Licking his lips as he envisioned everything he wanted to do to her, Mulder slowly turned around, keeping his grip on the woman before him as she took his direction and pulled herself up on the bed. Stepping back, he wanted to take in more of her in the bikini before slowly removing it from her body. The look in his eyes, like a wild animal centered on his prey, aroused Scully in a way she didn’t know possible. She kept her eyes locked on Mulder as he ran his hands up her bare legs to the bikini bottoms and mentally instructed her to move back to the front of the bed to allow him enough room to do everything he wanted. Her head propped up on one of the pillows, she closed her eyes and just let her mind escape in the feel of his body moving over hers, his bare legs straddling hers as his hands lingered up her chest, taking a breast in each hand and softly squeezing them, before his hands moved to the back of her neck, untying the Lycra spandex barrier between her breasts and his touch. His hands then moved to her back, untying the second barrier and even as her hunger grew, the feel of his tongue running between her breasts and down her stomach was enough to ward of any need for nourishment.  
Opening her eyes for just a moment, she watched as he moved down her body, to the part which craved his attention the most. His teeth grabbing hold of one of the ties and pulling it loose, then moving to the other side and doing the same.   
As she watched him remove the bikini bottoms and toss them aside, his fingers running up and down her aching flesh, he locked eyes with her and she begged for him to continue. Smiling slyly, as his own hardness throbbed, Mulder focused his attention only on her. Her hands pulling at the bedspread as his tongue touched her most delicate area, she did all she could not to scream. As he continued to lick, nibble and bite, stopping for a few seconds to watch her body react to his symphony, he wanted to bring her so close to the edge and stop. To have this act continue for hours, but as her moans became louder, her breath heavier, he realized he couldn’t torture her like that. His tongue gently running across her clit, she felt her orgasm building and forcing her eyes open she brought her hands to his head, gripping it firmly as she begged him not to stop.  
His cock throbbing, her nails digging into his skull causing a shock of pain which became pleasurable, he slipped his hand into his trunks and took hold of his shaft, sliding his hand up and down at a rapid pace as his tongue continued to devour as much of his woman, this angel who came into his life, as much as possible. She was begging for him to fuck her, and just hearing that word come out of her mouth was enough to send him over the edge, but as much as he wanted to slide his aching cock inside her, he also wanted to feel her as she climaxed; take in all of her as she quivered under him, and as the nails dug harder into his head and he felt his cock tremble in his hand, she screamed out his name as his own body shook in sync with hers.  
She was always taught to perceive sex as something dirty. That the only reason to make love was to make a child, and that it should only be between married adults in the dark and the woman was not allowed to experience pleasure as it was sinful. Now, as she lay here, twenty-years after the first boy broke her heart, she knew that two people who love each other, irrespective of vows being said before a priest was beautiful – regardless of the time of day. She refused to feel dirty, or shameful, and as Mulder’s lips moved to hers, and she took in the musky scent of him she was even more convinced that everything does happen for a reason.  
“We leave Sunday.” Mulder said as he finished the last piece of pizza.  
“It’s only Friday.” Scully replied as she traced her fingers on the glass of Merlot, her body still feeling like an electric current was racing through it from only a few hours earlier.  
“Is there anything else you wanted to see here?” he asked Scully as he watched her sip the rest of the wine; he sacrificed drinking, and the Percocet, to allow her to indulge. The pain was only temporary – that’s what he kept telling himself.  
Shaking her head she placed the empty glass on the table, “I’m good not leaving the room.”  
Mulder smiled in return, “Me too.”  
As it had been some time since she’d been with a man, let alone only getting out of bed - and dressed - to retrieve room service, Scully found it funny, and sad, that it took thirty-five years to finally allow herself to be…happy.  
“The office door does have a lock…” Scully said as she sat on the bed and bit into a fresh strawberry.  
“Yes, yes it does.” Her partner replied as he took a large sip of his mimosa, “And Skinner doesn’t make that many visits.”  
“And I see a lot of out of town visits…”  
“Well, he’s assigned to protect a Morley tobacco witness next week, and just an FYI, in case you forgot and boy have a I tried, we have to go to LA the first weekend of October.”  
“Oh yeah…” Scully replied picking up her own mimosa glass, “Well, it should be fun. We get to walk the red carpet and stay in a four star hotel.”  
“In separate rooms…with Skinner down the hall.”  
“You really need to stop obsessing over him.” Scully said honestly getting annoyed with hearing her boss’s name. “We will find a way.”  
Mulder nodded as he finished the mimosa and placed it on the nightstand, “Do we need to wait an hour after eating?”  
“I think that’s just for swimming.”  
“Good.”  
Like when he was a child, Saturday in Rhode Island flew by way too fast, but unlike when he was a child spending the day chasing his sister on the beach, he stayed in bed, with the woman he intended to spend the rest of his days with. The good, and the bad and as the pain returned in at two fifteen in the morning, Mulder got out of the comfortable bed and walked into the bathroom, the memories of her complaints about the stubble of his unshaven face making him smile in the mirror even through the pain.  
Returning to the room, he caught her sleeping face in the moonlight and found himself mesmerized by her. There wasn’t a day since meeting her when he wasn’t constantly amazed by his partner of eight years, but now they were more than partners, and keeping their work life and personal life private was going to be more painful than he could even imagine. But, to quote her, they’d find a way-he had to.  
Following Scully in the rental car to the Thrifty in Warwick, Mulder parked the U-Hall by the entrance as he waited for her to return. They would get back to DC, traffic permitting, by three. After dropping her off at home he would go to the storage center in Arlington to add the boxes to the storage unit before returning the U-Hall and taking a cab home. Tomorrow, he would just return to work like he had every other day and do all he could not to push his partner against the file cabinets and show her pleasure like she’s never experienced before.  
“Here’s your receipt.” Scully said shaking him out of his daze as she slammed the passenger side door shut, “Where were you?”  
“Just thinking.” He said taking the receipt and shoving it in his pocket. His accountant said the costs could be deducted against the taxes from his mother’s estate, but given his future wasn’t very optimistic right now, he really didn’t care about being audited next year.  
“About how it’s Sunday and we have to go back to acting like nothing happened this week and I have to lie about being in bed watching daytime TV all week.”  
“I thought Catholics didn’t lie.”  
“We do, we just go to confession.” She smiled and placed her hand on his leg, “We’ll be fine. This will just be our little secret.”  
Mulder nodded as he started the engine, “Do you need me to drop you off at confession first?”  
“Just shut up and drive.”  
Her own bed felt foreign, and sleeping wasn’t happening. By ten pm, Scully had given up and gotten out of her bed and went to the kitchen hoping maybe something to eat would sooth her back to sleep. The flannel pajamas from Tuesday, were replaced with a black, satin sleeveless nightgown which fell just above the knees. After dropping her off a little after five, Scully took a long hot bath, but found her fingers traveling south as the memories of their nights together flooded her mind. It was as if he had awakened a part of her she didn’t know existed, and even though she could still be the professional agent she always had been, there was also a part of her that wanted to forgo pantyhose for stockings, and maybe even skip panties themselves. She knew Mulder would never hurt her, that he would never leave her, and that one day they wouldn’t have to hide their feelings for one another.  
Pulling a container of hummus and a bag of baby carrots out of the fridge, Scully sat down at her dining room table and opened the blended chickpeas, but before she could even dip the carrot into the delicacy, there was a knock on the door.  
Fully aware of her limited clothing, and the hour, Scully assumed it was someone with the wrong address and they would simply move on. There was another knock followed by, “Scully, it’s me.” and a shiver went up her spine.  
Finding herself sprinting to the door, Scully looked up at the man wearing the same jeans and Knicks polo he was wearing when he left her, but holding a garment bag, “I was thinking…” he said as she crooked her head to the side looking up at him, finding himself distracted by her attire, “Why didn’t you pack that?”  
“I forgot I owned it.” She honestly replied, “But seriously, why are you here at this hour?”  
“I locked myself out of my apartment.”  
“Liar.” She replied as she never saw the garment bag he was holding on their little getaway.  
“It’s being fumigated.”  
“At ten pm on a Sunday?”  
Shaking his head a bit he finally knew he had to give in, “I can’t sleep alone anymore.”  
The true answer finally coming out, Scully smiled as she stepped backwards and allowed her partner entrance into her apartment. Closing the door and locking it behind him, Scully watched as he draped the garment bag over the back of the couch, while still holding a duffel bag, “What’s in the bags?”  
“Three suits, with different shirts and ties.” He said looking at the garment bag, “Shaving kit, toothbrush and other essentials as well as shoes, socks and boxers.”  
“Sounds like you were pretty convinced I’d let you stay.” She said as she crossed her arms and tapped her toes against the hardwood floor.  
“More like hoped, and like the boy scout I was twenty five years ago, I wanted to be prepared.”  
“I quit after brownie.” Scully replied, no longer hungry for the humus and placing the lid back on it before picking that and the carrots back up and taking them to the fridge.  
“I took a cab here, so if anyone asks I can say my car is in the shop and you gave me a lift.”  
“For how long?”  
“Until my car is fixed, but they have to order a special part from Japan so it may take a while.”  
Amazed at how quickly he could come up with answer for everything, Scully took the duffel bag from his hands and walked towards the bedroom, realizing she was alone, she turned back to Mulder, “Are you coming?”  
Nodding as he picked up the garment bag, Mulder followed her into the bedroom where she placed the bag on the bench by the window and then took his garment bag, opening the closet door and hanging it next to her own suits.  
“I think I could get used to this cohabitation.” Mulder said as she closed the door.  
Taking him in, the unshaven face, the messy hair as he had clearly tried to sleep and couldn’t, all Scully could do was smile, “Me too.


End file.
